FierceWiFi May 30, 2006

• CSIRO wins first round in WLAN patent war
• Motorola in world's largest 802.16e deployment
• Trend: Diverse muni-WiFi landscapes
• Netgear stumbles in draft-n race
• Easier WiFi set up in Windows Vista
• SPOTLIGHT: A successful muni-WiFi
• ALSO NOTED: Mesa, Arizona to roll out free WiFi downtown; BWI to install free WiFi at the airport; and much more...

CSIRO wins first round in WLAN patent war

This is not a case of David and Goliath, but a case of David and several Goliaths: In one corner is the Australian science agency CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research organization). In the other corner: Microsoft, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Apple, and Netgear. Who would you put your money on? Don't reach for your wallet quite yet, as earlier this month Judge Leonard Davis of the US District Court for the eastern district of Texas issued a Markman opinion accepting …

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Motorola in world's largest 802.16e deployment

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Last week Motorola said it would help build the world's largest planned network based on 802.16e. The network will be built in Pakistan by Pakistani company Wateen Telecom. Patrick Donegan of Heavy Reading reports that Wateen planned to deploy Motorola's MOTOwi4 technology at 193 sites by the end of September this year and 600 by the end of June 2007. The Pakistani carrier plans to use the network to provide voice, wireless broadband, …

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Trend: Diverse muni-WiFi landscapes

There is a groundswell of community networks around the world, with U.S. communities leading the way. Yankee Group estimates there are around 300 municipal wireless projects in the US and municipal wireless projects will probably account for a $400 million spend next year, an impressive year-on-year growth (from a very modest base, though).

The worldwide market is fragmented one because these networks have as many different names as strategic deployments and business models. Yankee …

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Netgear stumbles in draft-n race

When you walk point you draw fire. Netgear boasted that it was first to ship a draft-802.11n wireless ADSL router and now it has drawn criticism for a product which is likely to prove inferior to its existing products. Netgear says its RangeMax Next ADSL2+ modem router, or DG834N, is the first wireless-enabled ADSL2+ modem router based on the 802.11n draft. The company also claims that it delivers "the fastest data throughput speeds and furthest ranges available in the industry." The …

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Easier WiFi set up in Windows Vista

WiFi equipment prices have been steadily falling, leading to cut-throat competition among WiFi vendors. The last thing they need, therefore, is the high return rate--currently at 30 percent at retail--for their products. They will be glad to know that Windows Vista has an easier WiFi set up feature which will likely contribute to a reduction in return rate. The WiFi setup feature in Vista (called Windows Connect Now-NET, which is a new version of the Windows Connect Now feature in Windows …

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SPOTLIGHT: A successful muni-WiFi

As observed earlier, there is a groundswell of community networks, or muni-WiFi, around the world. No surprise there. We live in a digital age in which access to information, for business or personal benefit, using whatever form of technology available, is expected by many in the community. Most of the announcements of yet another wireless network covering a city district revolve around flooding an area with WiFi coverage and the lure of more widely available connectivity, with a …

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ALSO NOTED: Mesa, Arizona to roll out free WiFi downtown; BWI to install free WiFi at the airport; and much more...

> In anticipation of the 2007 opening of a community college, and responding to local business needs, Mesa, Arizona will roll out free WiFi in its downtown. Report

> Last Friday, Earthlink got the go-ahead from the New Orleans City Council to build a WiFi network around a free, city-owned system currently offering free services to residents, many of whom still without regular phone service. …

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